Dick Van Motman steps down as President & CEO of DDB Greater China

DDB Group Asia Pacific has announced that Dick van Motman has resigned as President and CEO of DDB Greater China Group. 

 

John Zeigler, Chairman and CEO of DDB Group Asia Pacific, India and Japan, said, “Dick outlined his intention quite some time ago. With 20 years under his belt, nine of these at DDB, he wanted to find new challenges. 

 

Dick and I have been working together to put the recent management changes in place, to ensure a seamless and continued growth transition of all our Greater China businesses, particularly Shanghai,” John added. 

 

During the past seven years DDB’s successes in Greater China have been numerous. DDB Shanghai has evolved into one of the leading agencies in China winning Campaign Asia Pacific’s Greater China Creative Agency of the Year in 2010. Tribal DDB Shanghai was also named Greater China Digital Agency of the Year. Additionally, the agency was named Agency of the Year by AdAge China in the same year. 

 

Dick was a key driver in completing DDB’s joint venture in Beijing, establishing DDB Guoan as a reputable global/local agency in China’s capital. While heading up Greater China, Dick also pushed DDB Group Hong Kong and DDB Group Taiwan to raise their creative and effective product, making the agencies leaders in their respective markets. 

 

In 2009, Dick was named Internationalist Agency Innovator and was recognised as the ‘Most outstanding advertising person’ by China Central Television, the first time a Westerner has been given this award. 

 

DDB Shanghai Group is now also ranked #1 Agency office and Tribal DDB Shanghai is ranked #1 Digital Agency in China, based on the 2011 China Effie Results. 

 

Dick van Motman said, “In a recent interview for a Dutch publication I was described as the wandering Jew and, upon reflection, that’s not a bad description of my last 20 years going from challenge to challenge. Building DDB Greater China Group has most definitely been one of my most challenging, but also most fulfilling assignments. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to build a world-class brand like DDB in a constantly evolving market like China.” 

 

John added, ” As a Greater China sub-region, our offices are strong individually – however together they are a formidable force. Richard Tan, President and CEO of DDB Group North China; Simone Tam, President of DDB Group Hong Kong & Guangzhou; and Roy Soetanto, Managing Director of DDB Taiwan have demonstrated – through the success of their individual markets – that they are capable of continually driving the Greater China agenda. We will miss Dick’s unique contribution and style and we wish him well.”